Grid Lines....
23/3/2001 0:40 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
The boys are back in town and ready to rumble in the Island opener this weekend. We’ve got the stories behind the stories in this edition of Grid Lines.
>> Stone Brothers discard Tony Longhurst may have found a home in the Rod Nash stable for now, but bigger and better things may be on the horizon.
Word has it that the Holden Racing Team is interested in signing the 43-year-old for their endurance campaign later in the year. Rod Nash Racing would receive a helping hand from the factory giant if the mooted deal was to proceed.
>> A farcical glitch in the system will see K-Mart racers Greg Murphy and Todd Kelly hit Phillip Island Friday morning in a bid to pre-qualify for the event.
Murphy (second fastest at last week’s Phillip Island test day) and Kelly have been forced into pre-qualifying because their team, technically Romano Racing, does not automatically get a start on last year’s performance.
Ironically, new Young Lion Paul Romano is an automatic qualifier thanks to the man he replaced, Todd Kelly.
>> What will give Super Cheap Auto ace Steven Ellery the mental and physical edge at Phillip Island this weekend? Kung Fu fighting, of course. The Queenslander recently added karate to his rigorous fitness regime.
“I figure that anything that gives you an edge is worth looking into. My sister was doing it and I thought ‘I could give that a go.’ I’ve only been doing it for a short time but I’m already seeing the benefits in the car,” Ellery-san said.
>> With pit stops sure to play their part in deciding the 2001 champ, Ford Tickford Racing are leaving nothing to chance – they’ve recently built a pit stop rig at the team’s headquarters to fine tune their skills.
>> Ford’s new boy wonder Craig Lowndes will hit the pavement this afternoon (Friday) to join in the Red Cross collection drive. If you live in the Cowes area of Phillip Island and see Lowndes walk up your driveway just after lunch, then dig deep!
“The Red Cross provides help for people in the community who need it the most, and I want to encourage everyone to donate generously in the last week of March,” a charitable Lowndes said.
>> Like uncle like nephew? Andrew Jones, nephew of OzEmail Supercar racer Brad Jones, certainly hopes so.
Jones begins his quest for a Formula Ford title this weekend, aboard an OzEmail-backed Van Diemen. The 20-year-old will compete in the entire eight-round series.
"Andrew has already demonstrated he’s a very good driver and while there’s plenty of things he’s still got to learn, I really do think he has the potential to make a go of it," Uncle Jones said.
>> $250,000. That’s the amount of money Lakeside Raceway has to raise if they’re to receive a proposed $248,000 dollar-for-dollar grant from the Queensland Government to give the 40-year-old circuit a new-millennium make-over.
Lakeside hope circuit memberships currently on offer will go some way in raising the money to begin the first stage of the redevelopment program. A new in-field access tunnel, extra run-off area, track widening and a pit paddock revamp are all in the pipeline in a long-term plan to entice the Shell Series back to the northern Brisbane complex.
>> The Wollongong whiz, 2000 Bathurst pole-sitter Wayne Gardner, has scored a prized factory Toyota seat in this year’s All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship. Gardner graduates from the Le Mans Toyota squad after strong performances in the series last year.
“It has taken some time to finalise the agreement, but it was well worth the wait,” Gardner said.
>> A picnic in the park will herald the start of this year’s Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, on the Sunday before the event. V8 Supercar teams and drivers will be the star attraction at the Harris Scarfe Clipsal 500 Family Fun Day on April 1. The Down Syndrome Society, official charity of the Clipsal 500, will be the day’s beneficiary.
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